Rangers players head off not just on holiday but also into the unknown . . .

Football Writer

Monday 14 May 2012

"THIS isn't the end, this is just the beginning." The rallying call made by Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, on the final day of last season somehow seemed appropriate for Rangers yesterday, too.

Rangers players applaud their travelling support at McDiarmid Park

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Graeme Macpherson

They brought a tumultuous campaign to a conclusion with this thumping win over St Johnstone, a result of little significance for the Ibrox club in a trophyless season, but, off the field, matters are only really getting started.

The Rangers players will now jet off on their summer holidays, uncertain about what will await them on their return. Some won't be back at all. The remainder may rest somewhat uneasy on their sun loungers and lilos as they wait to find out if the club will still be in existence come the start of the new season on August 4, in what shape and in what division. Charles Green's statement yesterday that he hopes to take the club out of administration via a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) offers hope, but executing it will be a different story. No player has said publicly that they are considering exercising the release clauses inserted in their contracts when they agreed to take temporary pay-cuts, but it would only be natural if it had crossed their minds, especially if a Rangers newco is asked to start life in the third division. Some may be sold against their will, too, if Green and his coterie of fellow investors conclude their takeover and decide transfer income may be the easiest and quickest way with which to bankroll the fallow summer months. Teams traditionally wave goodbye to their supporters after the final game of each season, but there was added poignancy in the Rangers players' farewell as they sauntered over to their fans congregated behind either goal at full-time. The club will surely continue in some shape or form beyond the summer but the break-up of this group of players, to some extent, is surely now inevitable.What a head-spinning introduction to management this has been for Ally McCoist, who could surely not have envisaged any of this chaos when he agreed to succeed Walter Smith last summer. The subsequent months have surely been as traumatic as anything he has experienced in a lengthy career. "I would have to say it's probably been the darkest season in the club's history because of the administration," he said. "We have obviously had greater disasters which have affected people. But, in terms of overall and the club going into administration, it's been the blackest season."It would be great just to get back to answering questions about football. That's what we all love. The whole season has been absolutely bizarre. Nobody could have predicted what has happened. Hopefully, it is now past us and we can start building for the future."There has been precious little joy for Rangers in a playing sense this season, but at least they finished on a relative high with Sone Aluko claiming a hat trick. Their first-half performance, when they had the wind at their backs, returned just one goal, but it was a special one from Lee McCulloch, who thumped in a volley from the edge of the box after 23 minutes that Alan Mannus had little chance of keeping out. Three goals in the second half sealed the victory. Aluko scored them all, fastening on to Maurice Edu's pass to finish well for his first, then tapping in from close range after good work by Steven Whittaker and Alejandro Bedoya for his second. He claimed his third after 73 minutes, rifling in another low shot after the St Johnstone defence had failed to clear. With his short-term contract now expired, and nobody at Rangers in a position to offer him a new one, this may well have been Aluko's last game for the club, but, if so, he again impressed and will not be short of summer suitors. McCulloch, though, hoped the group would not be broken up ahead of next season."The big thing is hopefully keeping the squad together," he said. "That's most important. We don't want anyone to go."The result completed a miserable end of season for St Johnstone, who lost every one of their five post-split fixtures, scoring only one goal in the process. Having failed to qualify for Europe under their own steam, Steve Lomas' side now need a Hearts victory over Hibernian in next weekend's Scottish Cup final to sneak into the early qualifying rounds of the Europa League.They started the better side here – Cillian Sheridan should have scored with an early header – but were eventually overwhelmed by Rangers. What few chances that the home side created were all squandered, with Francisco Sandaza – in what was probably his final game for the club – heading wide from a Liam Craig corner. When he finally did get the ball in the net, the Spaniard was flagged for offside, much to his evident chagrin. It was a tame way for such a promising season for St Johnstone to fizzle out, although Lomas was not overly disappointed. "I'd rather be in the top six losing every game than playing meaningless games mid-table," said the Northern Irishman. "But this is maybe as good as it gets for St Johnstone. It's going to be a massive rebuilding job in the summer."

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Rangers players head off not just on holiday but also into the unknown . . .

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